Wheat variety snr-0068

ABSTRACT

A wheat variety designated SNR-0068, the plants and seeds and plant parts of wheat variety SNR-0068, methods for producing a wheat plant produced by crossing the variety SNR-0068 with another wheat plant, and hybrid wheat seeds and plants produced by crossing the variety SNR-0068 with another wheat line or plant, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of variety SNR-0068. Methods for producing other wheat varieties or breeding lines derived from wheat variety SNR-0068 and wheat varieties or breeding lines produced by those methods are also provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of wheat breeding.In particular, the invention relates to the new and distinctive wheatcultivar SNR-0068.

There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirableplant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definitionof problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishmentof program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives.The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meetthe program goals. The goal is to combine in a single variety animproved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm.These important traits may include higher seed yield, resistance todiseases and insects, better stems and roots, tolerance to drought andheat, better agronomic quality, resistance to herbicides, andimprovements in compositional traits.

Wheat may be classified into six different market classes. Five ofthese, including common wheat, hard red winter, hard red spring, softred winter, and white, belong to the species Triticum aestivum L., andthe sixth, durum, belongs to the species Triticum turgidum cony. durum.Wheat may be used to produce a variety of products, including, but notlimited to, grain, flour, baked goods, cereals, crackers, pasta,beverages, livestock feed, biofuel, straw, construction materials, andstarches. The hard wheat classes are milled into flour used for breads,while the soft wheat classes are milled into flour used for pastries andcrackers. Durum wheat has multiple uses, and in particular in the pastaindustry and in producing semolina and may also be used in flourindustries. Wheat starch is used in the food and paper industries aslaundry starches, among other products.

SUMMARY

Plants produced by growing the seed of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068, aswell as the derivatives of such plants are provided. Further providedare plant parts, including cells, plant protoplasts, plant cells of atissue culture from which wheat plants may be regenerated, plant calli,plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts ofplants, such as leaves, stems, roots, root tips, anthers, pistils, seed,grain, pericarp, embryo, pollen, ovules, cotyledon, hypocotyl, spike,floret, awn, lemma, shoot, tissue, petiole, cells, and meristematiccells, and the like.

In a further aspect, a composition comprising a is provided of seed ofwheat cultivar SNR-0068 comprised in plant seed growth media. In certainembodiments, the plant seed growth media is a soil or syntheticcultivation medium. In specific embodiments, the growth medium may becomprised in a container or may, for example, be soil in a field.

Another embodiment relates to a tissue culture of regenerable cells ofthe wheat cultivar SNR-0068, as well as plants regenerated therefrom,wherein the regenerated wheat plant is capable of expressing all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a plant grown fromthe wheat seed designated SNR-0068.

Yet another embodiment is a wheat plant of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068further comprising a locus conversion. In one embodiment, the wheatplant is defined as comprising the locus conversion and otherwisecapable of expressing all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068. In particularembodiments of the invention, the locus conversion may comprise atransgenic gene which has been introduced by genetic transformation intothe wheat cultivar SNR-0068 or a progenitor thereof. In still otherembodiments of the invention, the locus conversion may comprise adominant or recessive allele. The locus conversion may conferpotentially any trait upon the plant, including, but not limited to,herbicide resistance, insect resistance, resistance to bacterial,fungal, or viral disease, male fertility or sterility, and improvednutritional quality. One or more locus conversion traits may beintroduced into a single wheat variety.

Still yet embodiment is a method of producing wheat seeds comprisingcrossing a plant of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068 to any second wheatplant, including itself, or another plant of the cultivar SNR-0068 of aplant that is not cultivar SNR-0068. In particular embodiments of theinvention, the method of crossing comprises the steps of: (a) plantingseeds of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068; (b) cultivating wheat plantsresulting from said seeds until said plants bear flowers; (c) allowingfertilization of the flowers of said plants; and (d) harvesting seedsproduced from said plants.

Still yet another embodiment is a method of producing hybrid wheat seedscomprising crossing the wheat cultivar SNR-0068 to a second, distinctwheat plant that is nonisogenic to the wheat cultivar SNR-0068. Inparticular embodiments of the invention, the crossing comprises thesteps of: (a) planting seeds of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 and a second,distinct wheat plant, (b) cultivating the wheat plants grown from theseeds until the plants bear flowers; (c) cross pollinating a flower onone of the two plants with the pollen of the other plant, and (d)harvesting the seeds resulting from the cross pollinating.

Still yet another embodiment relates to a first generation (F₁) hybridwheat seed produced by crossing a plant of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068to a second wheat plant. Also included in the invention are the F₁hybrid wheat plants grown from the hybrid seed produced by crossing thewheat cultivar SNR-0068 to a second wheat plant. Still further includedin the invention are the seeds of an F₁ hybrid plant produced with thewheat cultivar SNR-0068 as one parent, the second generation (F₂) hybridwheat plant grown from the seed of the F₁ hybrid plant, and the seeds ofthe F₂ hybrid plant.

Still yet another embodiment is a method for developing a wheat plant ina wheat breeding program comprising: (a) obtaining a wheat plant, or itsparts, of the cultivar SNR-0068; and (b) employing said plant or partsas a source of breeding material using plant breeding techniques. In themethod, the plant breeding techniques may be selected from the groupconsisting of recurrent selection, mass selection, bulk selection,backcrossing, pedigree breeding, genetic marker-assisted selection andgenetic transformation. In certain embodiments of the invention, thewheat plant of cultivar SNR-0068 may be used as the male or femaleparent.

Still yet another embodiment is a method of producing a wheat plantderived from the wheat cultivar SNR-0068, the method comprising thesteps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived from wheat cultivarSNR-0068 by crossing a plant of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068 with asecond wheat plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant with itself or asecond plant to produce a progeny plant of a subsequent generation whichis derived from a plant of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068. In oneembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: (c) crossingthe progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or a secondplant; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for, in some embodiments, atleast 2, 3, 4 or more additional generations to produce an inbred wheatplant derived from the wheat cultivar SNR-0068. Also provided by theinvention is a plant produced by this and the other methods of theinvention.

In another embodiment of the invention, the method of producing a wheatplant derived from the wheat cultivar SNR-0068 further comprises: (a)crossing the wheat cultivar SNR-0068-derived wheat plant with itself oranother wheat plant to yield additional wheat cultivar SNR-0068-derivedprogeny wheat seed; (b) growing the progeny wheat seed of step (a) underplant growth conditions to yield additional wheat cultivarSNR-0068-derived wheat plants; and (c) repeating the crossing andgrowing steps of (a) and (b) to generate further wheat cultivarSNR-0068-derived wheat plants. In specific embodiments, steps (a) and(b) may be repeated at least 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 or more times as desired.The invention still further provides a wheat plant produced by this andthe foregoing methods.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference now will be made in detail to the embodiments of theinvention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not alimitation of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various modifications and variations may be made in the presentinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.For instance, features illustrated or described as part of oneembodiment, can be used on another embodiment to yield a still furtherembodiment.

Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers suchmodifications and variations as come within the scope of the appendedclaims and their equivalents. Other objects, features, and aspects ofthe present invention are disclosed in or are obvious from the followingdetailed description. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art that the present discussion is a description of exemplaryembodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects ofthe present invention

In an embodiment, the invention is directed to wheat cultivar SNR-0068,its seeds, plants, and hybrids. Wheat cultivar SNR-0068 is a springdurum wheat was selected for high yield, lodging resistance, low cadmiumaccumulation and good pasta making quality. The breeding method used wasa selected spike bulk modified pedigree.

SNR-0068 is a durum wheat variety that originated from the crossTA/Orita//YU802-94/3/Atil 2001/4/YU803-54/5/YU803-42 made by WestBred,LLC near Yuma, Ariz. in March of 2007. YU803-42 is a proprietarybreeding line of Second Nature Research LLC with a pedigree ofPH896-74/Tacna. YU803-54 is a proprietary breeding line of Second NatureResearch LLC with a pedigree of PH896-74/YU897-48. Atil 2001 is a publicvariety released by CIMMYT. YU802-94 is a proprietary line of SecondNature Research LLC with a pedigree of TA/Cortez//Orita/3/Tacna. Thebreeding history is outlined below.

TABLE 1 Year Generation Location Selection Method 2007 Cross Yuma, AZ2007 F1 Bozeman, MT Bulk 2008 F2 Yuma, AZ Selected bulk 2008 F3 Bozeman,MT Individual spikes 2009 F4 Yuma, AZ Plant selection 2009 F5 Bozeman,MT Bulk harvest designated SNR-0068 2010 F6 CA and AZ Yield trials 2011F7 CA and AZ Yield trials and head row purification 2012 F8 CA and AZYield trials and head row plot purification 2013 F9 CA & AZ Yield trialsand initial breeder seed increase 2014 F10 CA & AZ Yield trials and seedincrease 2015 F11 CA & AZ Yield trials 2016 F12 CA & AZ Yield trialsSNR-0068 was selected for yield, protein, semolina color, low cadmium,lodging resistance, SDS sedimentation, and semi dwarf growth habit. Thefinal plant selection was made in Yuma, Ariz. in 2009. The resulting F5bulk was designated SNR-0068. In 2010, 40 spikes were selected and grownin spike rows in 2011 near Yuma, Ariz. Twenty identical and uniform rowswere selected and grown as individual head row plots near Yuma, Ariz. in2012. This seed was bulk harvested and used to plant one acre ofbreeder's seed near Yuma, Ariz. in 2013

SNR-0068 being substantially homozygous, can be reproduced by plantingseeds of the line, growing the resulting wheat plants underself-pollinating or sib-pollinating conditions, and harvesting theresulting seed, using techniques familiar to the agricultural arts.SNR-0068 has a taller variant that is 12-30 cm taller that occurs at afrequency of up to 0.2%. A white awn variant occurs at a frequency of upto 0.2%. The variants are otherwise identical in all othercharacteristics described. It has been shown to be uniform and stableacross three generations and has shown no variants other than what wouldnormally be expected due to environment.

The experimental cultivar SNR-0068 was bred and selected using amodified pedigree selection method for any and all of the followingcharacteristics in the field environment: disease resistance, planttype, plant height, head type, straw strength, maturity, grain yield,test weight, and milling and baking characteristics.

During the process of development, the plant populations as well asindividual plants are evaluated for general health, agronomics, andstability at many stages. These evaluations typically include, but arenot limited to, one or more of the following characteristics: plantarchitecture traits such as seedling coleoptile length, coleoptile color(presence of anthocyanin), juvenile plant growth habit, tillering, plantheight, straw strength or lodging, flag leaf carriage at boot stage,leaf width and length, glaucosity of stems, leaves and spikes,pubescence of leaves and spikes, spike shape, spike density, spikeawnedness, and plant color through-out stages of growth; plant growthcharacteristics, such as vernalization requirement, date for first stemjoint emergence, heading date, flowering date, physiological maturitydate and harvest maturity; tolerance to weather conditions, such as coldtolerance, resistance to heaving, tolerance to wet soils and standingwater, drought and heat tolerance; and grain characteristics, such asgrain yield, test weight, 1000 kernel weight, grain moisture, graincolor, grain shape, grain protein, flour milling yield and bakingcharacteristics.

During its development, wheat variety SNR-0068 was assayed and/orplanted in field trials and evaluated for a variety of traits and/orcharacteristics as compared to check varieties. The property(s) ofappropriate check varieties may include but are not limited to varietieswith a similar relative maturity, varieties known to be susceptible toone or more particular diseases, insect, pathogen, field condition,weather condition, soil type or condition, and/or crop managementpractice, varieties known to be tolerant or resistant to one or moreparticular diseases, insect, pathogen, field condition, weathercondition, soil type or condition, and/or crop management practice,varieties comprising one or more particular marker locus, and/orvarieties derived from another appropriate variety or having aparticular pedigree. Appropriate choice of check varieties forcomparison assures an appropriate baseline and valid qualitative orquantitative assessment of any test varieties.

Throughout the course of the development of SNR-0068, the plants can betested for various traits including, but not limited to grain yield,test weight, heading date, harvest maturity, plant height, strawstrength, pre-harvest sprout tolerance, resistance levels to leaf rust,stripe rust, tan spot, Septoria tritici blotch, Stagnospora nodorumblotch, powdery mildew, Fusarium (scab), wheat yellow mosaic virus andsoil-borne mosaic virus.

When referring to area of adaptability, such term is used to describethe location with the environmental conditions that would be well suitedfor this wheat variety. Area of adaptability is based on a number offactors, for example: days to heading, winter hardiness, insectresistance, disease resistance, and drought resistance. Area ofadaptability does not indicate that the wheat variety will grow in everylocation within the area of adaptability or that it will not growoutside the area. SNR-0068 is adapted to the irrigated durum growingareas of the Southwest United States. Table 2 lists the variety specificinformation.

TABLE 2 1. Kind: Durum 2. Seasonal Growth Habit: Spring 3. ColeoptileColor: White 4. Juvenile Growth Habit: Erect 5. Leaf Color at Boot:Green 6. Flag Leaf at Boot: Erect, twisted, wax present 7. AuricleColor: White 8. Day(s) to 50% Heading: 93 9. Anther Color: Yellow 10.Anthoncyanin: Absent 11. Plant Height (cm): 81.25 12. Internodes:Semi-solid 13. Spike Shape: Oblong 14. Spike Density: Dense 15. SpikeCurvature: Erect 16. Awn Type: Awned 17. Awn Color: Black 18. GlumeColor: White/Amber 19. Glume Length: Long 20. Shoulder Shape: Oblique21. Shoulder Width: Narrow 22. Beak Shape: Acuminate 23. Beak Length(S.M.L.VL): Medium 24. Glume Pubescence: Present 25. Seed Color Amber26. Seed Shape: Elliptical 27. Cheeks: Rounded 28. Brush Size (S, M,L.): Short 29. Avg 1,000 Kernel Wt (g): 56 SNR-0068 is shows the traitof low cadmium.

Table 3 shows yield and agronomic data was collected in California intesting of SNR-0068 comparing to three varieties in 2014-2016.

TABLE 3 Heading Yield Test Date Black Plant SDS LBS/ Weight After pointLodging Height Protein Leaf Stripe Sedementation Cadmium Variety AcreLBS/BU Jan 1 % 1-9* cm % Rust** Rust** mm ppm SNR- 7353 62.72 83.67 102.68 81.25 14.22 1.48 1.64 67.8 0.111 0068 WB- 6677 62 85.33 5 3.89 84.914.62 3.21 3.86 75.8 0.155 Mohave Locations 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 3939 5 Variance 0.41 0.081 1.14 1.58 0.03 4.68 T −9.34 −7.05 11.59 7.097.14 14.82 23.08 Prob. <=1% <=1% <=1% <=1% <=1% <=1% <=1% SNR- 735362.72 83.67 10 2.68 81.25 14.22 1.51 1.63 67.8 0.111 0068 Orita 702660.4 90.08 8 2.79 84.6 14.47 2.83 2.75 74.2 0.282 Locations 39 39 39 3939 39 39 39 39 39 5 Variance 2.01 4.66 0.52 2.53 0.13 4.27 T −2.97−10.22 18.57 0.91 5.15 4.35 19.33 Prob. <=1% <=1% <=1% ns <=1% <=1% <=1%*Scale of 1-9 where 1 = zero lodging and 9 = severe lodging **Scale of1-9: 1 = least disease and 9 = most disease The above data collected atYuma, AZ; Somerton, AZ; Brawley, CA; Imperial, CA

Table 4 shows the average pasta quality data of SNR-0068 compared tocommercially available varieties in 2016

SNR-0068 Orita WB-Mohave Protein (12% MB) 13.4 14.1 14.1 1000k wt in g55.69 52.83 48.98 % Total Extraction 76.11 71.83 75.27 % SemolinaExtraction 62.07 60.12 61.06 Alveograph W 156 149 281 AlveoGraph P/Lratio 1.24 1.99 3.11 Gluten Index 65.92 62.05 90.68 Semolina Color Bvalue 30.38 26.84 31.21 Pasta Color B value 39.8 38.15 42.37 Color Score8.33 7.5 9 Cooked Weight (g) 30.2 29.7 30.3 Cook Loss (%) 5.2 5.4 5.1Pasta firmness, (g/cm) 5.9 5.6 5.6 Analysis performed by the CaliforniaWheat CommissionIn accordance with another embodiment, there is provided a wheat planthaving the morphological and physiological characteristics of SNR-0068.Those of skill in the art will recognize that these are typical valuesthat may vary due to environment and that other values that aresubstantially equivalent are within the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a composition comprising a seedof SNR-0068 comprised in plant seed growth media. Advantageously, plantseed growth media can provide adequate physical support for seeds andcan retain moisture and/or nutritional components. In certainembodiments, the plant seed growth media is a soil or syntheticcultivation medium. Any plant seed growth media known in the art may beutilized in this embodiment and the invention is in no way limited tosoil or synthetic cultivation medium. Examples of characteristics forsoils that may be desirable in certain embodiments can be found, forinstance, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,932,166 and 4,707,176. Plant cultivationmedia are well known in the art and may, in certain embodiments,comprise polymers, hydrogels, or the like. Examples of such compositionsare described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,537. In specificembodiments, the growth medium may be comprised in a container or may,for example, be soil in a field.

In another embodiment, the invention is directed to methods forproducing a wheat plant by crossing a first parent wheat plant with asecond parent wheat plant, wherein the first or second wheat plant isthe wheat plant from the cultivar SNR-0068. In an embodiment, the firstand second parent wheat plants may be from the cultivar SNR-0068 (i.e.,self-pollination). Any methods using the cultivar SNR-0068 are part ofthis invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybrid breeding, and crosses topopulations. Any plants produced using cultivar SNR-0068 as a parent arewithin the scope of this invention. In certain embodiments, theinvention is also directed to cells that, upon growth anddifferentiation, produce a cultivar having essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of SNR-0068. The presentinvention additionally contemplates, in various embodiments, a wheatplant regenerated from a tissue culture of cultivar SNR-0068.

In some embodiments of the invention, the invention is directed to atransgenic variant of SNR-0068. A transgenic variant of SNR-0068 maycontain at least one transgene but could contain at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more transgenes. Another embodiment of the inventioninvolves a process for producing wheat cultivar SNR-0068 furthercomprising a desired trait, said process comprising introducing atransgene that confers a desired trait to a wheat plant of cultivarSNR-0068. Methods for producing transgenic plants have been developedand are well known in the art. As part of the invention, one of ordinaryskill in the art may utilize any method of producing transgenic plantswhich is currently known or yet to be developed.

When referring to a transgene is meant to include a heterologous nucleicacid molecule which may be a heterologous polynucleotide or aheterologous nucleic acid or an exogenous DNA and includes apolynucleotide, nucleic acid or DNA segment that originates from asource foreign to the particular host cell, or, if from the same source,is modified from its original form in composition and/or genomic locusby human intervention. When referring to a gene or transgene that may beintroduced into the plant is intended to include portions of the gene,and it may not include the entire gene, and may not include the nativepromoter or other components. By way of example without limitation, itcan include sequences that are duplicates of those already in the plantcell, may be a modified version of the sequence, or its expression orfunction modified. A heterologous gene in a host cell includes a genethat is endogenous to the particular host cell, but has been modified orintroduced into the plant. Thus, the terms refer to a DNA segment whichis foreign or heterologous to the cell, or homologous to the cell but ina position within the host cell nucleic acid in which the element is notordinarily found. Exogenous DNA segments are expressed to yieldexogenous polypeptides. As noted, a heterologous nucleic acid moleculemay be introduced into the plant by any convenient methods. In oneembodiment the heterologous nucleic acid molecule may be a transgenethat is introduced by transformation.

The term introduced in the context of inserting a nucleic acid orpolypeptide into a cell, includes transfection or transformation ortransduction and includes reference to the incorporation of a nucleicacid into a cell where the nucleic acid may be incorporated into thegenome of the cell (e.g., chromosome, plasmid, plastid or mitochondrialDNA), converted into an autonomous replicon, or transiently expressed(e.g., transfected mRNA). When referring to introduction of a nucleicacid sequence into a plant is meant to include transformation into thecell, as well as crossing a plant having the sequence with anotherplant, so that the second plant contains the heterologous sequence ortransgene, as in conventional plant breeding techniques. Such breedingtechniques are well known to one skilled in the art and examples arediscussed herein. For a discussion of plant breeding techniques, seePoehlman (1995) Breeding Field Crops. AVI Publication Co., WestportConn., 4th Edit. Backcrossing methods may be used to introduce a geneinto the plants. This technique has been used for decades to introducetraits into a plant. An example of a description of this and other plantbreeding methodologies that are well known can be found in referencessuch as Poehlman, supra, and Plant Breeding Methodology, edit. NealJensen, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1988). In a typical backcross protocol,the original variety of interest (recurrent parent) is crossed to asecond variety (nonrecurrent parent) that carries the single gene ofinterest to be transferred. The resulting progeny from this cross arethen crossed again to the recurrent parent and the process is repeateduntil a plant is obtained wherein essentially all of the desiredmorphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrent parentare recovered in the converted plant, in addition to the singletransferred gene from the nonrecurrent parent. Examples of suchtechniques and variations are set forth in further detail herein.

In one example, a heterologous protein can be produced in commercialquantities. Thus, techniques for the selection and propagation oftransformed plants, which are well understood in the art, yield aplurality of transgenic plants that may be harvested in a conventionalmanner. A heterologous protein can then be extracted from a tissue ofinterest or from total biomass. Protein extraction from plant biomasscan be accomplished by known methods.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the plant having theheterologous sequence introduced may be provided for commercialproduction of heterologous protein is, or is derived from a SNR-0068wheat plant. In another embodiment, the biomass of interest is or isderived from a SNR-0068 seed.

As described herein, sequences can be expressed in plants that have suchsequence introduced into the plant. More particularly, plants can begenetically engineered to express various phenotypes of agronomicinterest. A single gene or locus conversion or at least about 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 35or 40 or more genes or locus conversions and less than about 100, 90,80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15, or 10 genes or locus conversions may beintroduced into a plant or comprised in the genome of the wheat plant.Combinations or stacks of two or more genes or coding sequencesdescribed herein can be used. Through the transformation of wheat, theexpression of genes can be modulated to enhance disease resistance,insect resistance, herbicide resistance, water stress tolerance andagronomic traits as well as grain quality traits. These traits and thegenes and organisms which may be targets are described in U.S. Pat. No.8,809,554, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety forthis purpose. Transformation can also be used to insert DNA sequenceswhich control or help control male-sterility. DNA sequences native towheat as well as non-native DNA sequences can be transformed into wheatand used to modulate levels of native or non-native proteins. Thesequences can be heterologous comprising a coding sequence operablylinked to a heterologous regulatory element, such as a promoter.Anti-sense technology, various promoters, targeting sequences, enhancingsequences, and other DNA sequences can be inserted into the wheat genomefor the purpose of modulating the expression of proteins.

As discussed further herein, numerous methods for plant transformationhave been developed, including biological and physical planttransformation protocols. In addition, expression vectors and in vitroculture methods for plant cell or tissue transformation and regenerationof plants are available.

In certain embodiments, the desired trait may be one or more ofherbicide tolerance or resistance, insect resistance or tolerance,disease resistance or tolerance, resistance for bacterial, viral, orfungal disease, male fertility, male sterility, decreased phytate, ormodified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism. The specific transgenemay be any known in the art or listed herein, including, but not limitedto a polynucleotide conferring resistance to imidazolinone, dicamba,sulfonylurea, glyphosate, glufosinate, triazine, benzonitrile,cyclohexanedione, phenoxy propionic acid, and L-phosphinothricin; apolynucleotide encoding a Bacillus thuringiensis polypeptide, apolynucleotide encoding phytase, FAD-2, FAD-3, galactinol synthase or araffinose synthetic enzyme, Fusarium, Septoria, or various viruses orbacteria. In other embodiments, the genetic element may introduce anucleic acid molecule including one that encodes a protein that initself has value in industrial, pharmaceutical or other commercial orresearch uses.

Various genetic elements can be introduced into the plant genome usingtransformation. These elements include, but are not limited to genes,coding sequences, inducible, constitutive, and tissue-specificpromoters, enhancing sequences, and signal and targeting sequences.

In some embodiments, the invention comprises a SNR-0068 plant that hasbeen developed using both genetic engineering and traditional breedingtechniques. For example, a genetic trait may have been engineered intothe genome of a particular wheat plant may then be moved into the genomeof a SNR-0068 plant using traditional breeding techniques that are wellknown in the plant breeding arts. Likewise, a genetic trait that hasbeen engineered into the genome of a SNR-0068 wheat plant may then bemoved into the genome of another cultivar using traditional breedingtechniques that are well known in the plant breeding arts. Abackcrossing approach is commonly used to move a transgene or transgenesfrom a transformed wheat cultivar into an already developed wheatcultivar, and the resulting backcross conversion plant would thencomprise the transgene(s).

Plant transformation involves the construction of an expression vectorthat will function in plant cells. Such a vector may comprise DNAcomprising a gene under control of or operatively linked to a regulatoryelement (for example, a promoter). The expression vector may contain oneor more such operably linked gene/regulatory element combinations. Thevector(s) may be in the form of a plasmid and can be used alone or incombination with other plasmids to provide transformed wheat plants,using transformation methods as described below to incorporatetransgenes into the genetic material of the wheat plant(s).

Expression Vectors for Wheat Transformation: Marker Nucleic AcidMolecules

Expression vectors may include at least one genetic marker operablylinked to a regulatory element that allows transformed cells containingthe marker to be either recovered by negative selection, i.e.,inhibiting growth of cells that do not contain the selectable markergene, or by positive selection, i.e., screening for the product encodedby the genetic marker. Many commonly used selectable marker genes forplant transformation are well known in the transformation arts, and mayinclude, for example, genes that code for enzymes that metabolicallydetoxify a selective chemical agent, which may be an antibiotic or anherbicide, or genes that encode an altered target which is insensitiveto the inhibitor. Positive selection methods are also known in the art.

One commonly used selectable marker gene for plant transformation is theneomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene, which when under thecontrol of plant regulatory signals, confers resistance to kanamycin.Another commonly used selectable marker gene is the hygromycinphosphotransferase gene, which confers resistance to the antibiotichygromycin.

Additional selectable marker genes of bacterial origin that conferresistance to antibiotics include gentamycin acetyl transferase,streptomycin phosphotransferase, and aminoglycoside-3′-adenyltransferase, the bleomycin resistance determinant. Other selectablemarker genes confer tolerance or resistance to herbicides such asglyphosate, glufosinate, or bromoxynil, or the like.

Other selectable marker genes for plant transformation that are not ofbacterial origin may include, for example, mouse dihydrofolatereductase, plant 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase, and plantacetolactate synthase.

Another class of marker genes for plant transformation requiresscreening of presumptively transformed plant cells, rather than directgenetic selection of transformed cells, for resistance to a toxicsubstance such as an antibiotic. These genes are particularly useful toquantify or visualize the spatial pattern of expression of a gene inspecific tissues and are frequently referred to as reporter genesbecause they can be fused to a gene or gene regulatory sequence for theinvestigation of gene expression. Commonly used genes for screeningpresumptively transformed cells include .beta.-glucuronidase (GUS)β.-galactosidase, luciferase, and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. Invivo methods for visualizing GUS activity that do not requiredestruction of plant tissue are also available. More recently, a geneencoding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has been utilized as a markerfor gene expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. GFP and mutantsof GFP may also be used as screenable markers.

Expression Vectors for Wheat Transformation: Promoters

Genes included in expression vectors are typically driven by anucleotide sequence comprising a regulatory element, for example, apromoter. Many types of promoters are well known in the transformationarts, as are other regulatory elements that can be used alone or incombination with promoters.

By “promoter” is meant a regulatory element of DNA capable of regulatingthe transcription of a sequence linked thereto. It usually comprises aTATA box capable of directing RNA polymerase II to initiate RNAsynthesis at the appropriate transcription initiation site for aparticular coding sequence. The promoter is the minimal sequencesufficient to direct transcription in a desired manner. The term“regulatory element” in this context is also used to refer to thesequence capable of “regulatory element activity,” that is, regulatingtranscription in a desired manner. Therefore the invention is directedto the regulatory element described herein including those sequenceswhich hybridize to same and have identity to same, as indicated, andfragments and variants of same which have regulatory activity. A “plantpromoter” is a promoter capable of initiating transcription in plantcells. Examples of promoters under developmental control includepromoters that preferentially initiate transcription in certain tissues,such as leaves, roots, seeds, fibers, xylem vessels, tracheids, orsclerenchyma. Such promoters may be referred to as “tissue-preferred.”Promoters that initiate transcription only in certain tissue arereferred to as “tissue-specific.” A “cell type” specific promoterprimarily drives expression in certain cell types in one or more organs,for example, vascular cells in roots or leaves. An “inducible” promoteris a promoter under environmental control. Examples of environmentalconditions that may affect transcription by inducible promoters includeanaerobic conditions or the presence of light. Tissue-specific,tissue-preferred, cell type specific, and inducible promoters constitutethe class of “non-constitutive” promoters. A “constitutive” promoter isa promoter that is active under most environmental conditions.

A constitutive promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression inwheat, or is operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a signalsequence that is operably linked to a gene for expression in wheat. Manydifferent constitutive promoters are available. Exemplary constitutivepromoters include, but are not limited to, the promoters from plantviruses, such as the 35S promoter from CaMV and the promoters from suchgenes as rice actin; ubiquitin; pEMU; MAS, and maize H3 histone. The ALSpromoter, Xba1/Ncol fragment 5′ to the Brassica napus ALS3 structuralgene (or a nucleotide sequence similarity to said Xbal/Ncol fragment),represents a particularly useful constitutive promoter.

A tissue-specific promoter or tissue-preferred promoter may be operablylinked to a gene for expression in wheat. Plants transformed with a geneof interest operably linked to a tissue-specific promoter may producethe protein product of the transgene exclusively, or preferentially, ina specific tissue. Any tissue-specific or tissue-preferred promoter canbe utilized in the present invention. Exemplary tissue-specific ortissue-preferred promoters include, but are not limited to, aroot-preferred promoter, such as that from the phaseolin gene; aleaf-specific and light-induced promoter, such as that from cab orrubisco; an anther-specific promoter, such as that from LAT52; apollen-specific promoter, such as that from Zml 3; or amicrospore-preferred promoter, such as that from apg.

An inducible regulatory element is one that is capable of directly orindirectly activating transcription of one or more DNA sequences orgenes in response to an inducer. In the absence of an inducer the DNAsequences or genes will not be transcribed. Any inducible promoter maybe used in the present invention. Exemplary inducible promoters include,but are not limited to, those from the ACEI system, which respond tocopper, and the In2 gene from maize, which responds tobenzene-sulfonamide herbicide safeners. In an embodiment, the induciblepromoter may be a promoter that responds to an inducing agent to whichplants do not normally respond. An exemplary inducible promoter may bean inducible promoter from a steroid hormone gene, the transcriptionalactivity of which is induced by a glucocorticosteroid hormone.

Signal Sequences for Targeting Proteins to Subcellular Compartments

Transport of protein produced by transgenes to a subcellular compartmentsuch as the chloroplast, vacuole, peroxisome, glyoxysome, cell wall, ormitochondrion, or for secretion into the apoplast, is accomplished bymeans of operably linking the nucleotide sequence encoding a signalsequence to the 5′ and/or 3′ region of a gene encoding the protein ofinterest. Targeting sequences at the 5′ and/or 3′ end of the structuralgene may determine, during protein synthesis and processing, where theencoded protein is ultimately compartmentalized. The presence of asignal sequence directs a polypeptide to either an intracellularorganelle or subcellular compartment or for secretion to the apoplast.Many signal sequences are known in the art.

In certain embodiments, the invention comprises SNR-0068 plants havingheterologous sequences, including transformed SNR-0068 plants, thatexpress particular agronomic genes or phenotypes of agronomic interest.Exemplary genes implicated in this regard include, but are not limitedto, those categorized below:

Examples of Nucleic Acid Molecules that Confer Tolerance or Resistanceto Pests or Disease

Plant defenses are often activated by specific interaction between theproduct of a disease tolerance or resistance gene (R) in the plant andthe product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr) gene in the pathogen.Exemplary genes which can be used include, but are not limited to, genesthat confer resistance to pests such as Hessian fly, wheat stem sawfly,cereal leaf beetle, and/or green bug or disease, to pathogensCladosporium fulvum Pseudomonas syringae Fusarium graminearum Schwabe,wheat rusts, Septoria tritici, Septoria nodorum, powdery mildew,Helminthosporium diseases, smuts, bunts, Fusarium diseases, bacterialdiseases, and viral diseases. Genes and impact on expression of same areknown for conferring resistance to diseases such as wheat rusts,Septoria tritici, Septoria nodorum, powdery mildew, Helminthosporiumdiseases, smuts, bunts, Fusarium diseases, bacterial diseases, and viraldiseases. Many proteins expressed are useful such asdevelopmental-arrestive protein such as aendopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein or a ribosome-inactivatinggene; sequences involved in the Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR)Response and/or the pathogenesis related genes. A plant variety can betransformed with one or more cloned resistance genes to engineer plantsthat are resistant to specific pathogen strains.

A wide variety of nucleic acid sequences are available for insertion ortargets which provide tolerance or resistance to insects, such asnematodes. Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof or asynthetic polypeptide modeled thereon and provides resistance toinsects. Examples of Bacillus thuringiensis transgenes encoding aendotoxin and being genetically engineered are given in the followingpatents and patent applications and hereby are incorporated by referencefor this purpose: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,188,960; 5,689,052; 5,880,275;8,809,654.

Yet further examples include the nucleotide sequence of several Cliviaminiata mannose-binding lectin genes are known in the art; avitamin-binding protein such as avidin or avidin homologues; an enzymeinhibitor, for example, a protease or proteinase inhibitor or an amylaseinhibitor such as the nucleotide sequences of rice cysteine proteinaseinhibitor, cDNA encoding tobacco proteinase inhibitor I, andStreptomyces nitrosporeus α-amylase inhibitor are known in the art. Agene, for example, the H9, H10, and H21 genes, confers resistance to apest, such as Hessian fly, stem soft fly, cereal leaf beetle, and/orgreen bug.

Additional examples include an insect-specific hormone or pheromone suchas an ecdysteroid and juvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimeticbased thereon, or an antagonist or agonist thereof. For example, thebaculovirus expression of cloned juvenile hormone esterase, aninactivator of juvenile hormone, is known in the art. An insect-specificpeptide or neuropeptide, upon expression, can disrupt the physiology ofthe affected pest. For example, it is known that expression cloningyields DNA coding for insect diuretic hormone receptor and an allostatincan be identified in Diploptera puntata. (See also U.S. Pat. No.5,266,317.) Genes encoding insect-specific, paralytic neurotoxins arealso known in the art. An insect-specific venom produced in nature by asnake, a wasp, etc. can be utilized. For example, heterologousexpression in plants of a gene coding for a scorpion insectotoxicpeptide is known in the art. An enzyme responsible for ahyper-accumulation of a monoterpene, a sesquiterpene, a steroid, ahydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid derivative, or another non-proteinmolecule with insecticidal activity may also be used. An insect-specificantibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom. Thus, an antibody targetedto a critical metabolic function in the insect gut would inactivate anaffected enzyme, killing the insect. For example, enzymatic inactivationin transgenic tobacco via production of single-chain antibody fragmentsis known in the art.

An enzyme involved in the modification, including the post-translationalmodification, of a biologically active molecule is useful. For example,such enzymes include, but are not limited to, a glycolytic enzyme, aproteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme, a nuclease, a cyclase, acallase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, a phosphatase, akinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, a chitinase, and aglucanase, whether natural or synthetic. DNA molecules that containchitinase-encoding sequences can be obtained, for example, from the ATCCunder Accession Nos. 39637 and 67152. The nucleotide sequences of a cDNAencoding tobacco hookworm chitinase and parsley ubi4-2 polyubiquitingene are also known in the art.

A molecule that stimulates signal transduction is useful with theseprocesses. For example, the nucleotide sequences for mung beancalmodulin cDNA clones and a maize calmodulin cDNA clone are known inthe art. A hydrophobic moment peptide, for example, peptide derivativesof Tachyplesin, inhibit fungal plant pathogens, or syntheticantimicrobial peptides that confer disease resistance. A membranepermease, a channel former, or a channel blocker, for example,heterologous expression of a cecropin-13 lytic peptide analog to rendertransgenic tobacco plants resistant to Pseudomonas solanacearum is knownin the art.

A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom can beused to provide coat protein-mediated resistance. For example, theaccumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plant cells impartsresistance to viral infection and/or disease development affected by thevirus from which the coat protein gene is derived, as well as by relatedviruses. Coat protein-mediated resistance has been conferred upontransformed plants against alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus,tobacco streak virus, potato virus X, potato virus Y, tobacco etchvirus, tobacco rattle virus, and tobacco mosaic virus.

A virus-specific antibody may be utilized. For example, it is known inthe art that transgenic plants expressing recombinant antibody genes areprotected from virus attack.

In some embodiments, genes, coding sequences or targets which can beused include, without limitation, antifungal genes (see, for example, USPublication No: 20020166141 incorporated herein by reference for thispurpose); detoxification genes, such as for fumonisin, beauvericin,moniliformin and zearalenone and their structurally related derivatives(see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,931 incorporated herein byreference for this purpose); cystatin and cysteine proteinase inhibitors(see for example, US Patent Publication Serial No: 20050102717incorporated herein by reference for this purpose), defensin genes (seefor example, PCT Public WO03000863 and US Patent Publication Serial No:20030041348). These references and all references cited are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety. A developmental-arrestive proteinproduced in nature by a plant may be utilized. For example, it has beenshown that transgenic plants expressing the barley ribosome-inactivatinggene have an increased resistance to fungal disease.

Fusarium head blight along with deoxynivalenol both produced by thepathogen Fusarium graminearum (Schwabe) have caused devastating lossesin wheat production. Genes expressing proteins with antifungal actioncan be used as transgenes to prevent Fusarium head blight. Variousclasses of proteins have been identified. Examples includeendochitinases, exochitinases, glucanases, thionins, thaumatin-likeproteins, osmotins, ribosome-inactivating proteins, flavonoids, andlactoferricin. During infection with Fusarium graminearum,deoxynivalenol is produced. There is evidence that production ofdeoxynivalenol increases the virulence of the disease. Genes withproperties for detoxification of deoxynivalenol have been engineered foruse in wheat. A synthetic peptide that competes with deoxynivalenol hasbeen identified. Changing the ribosomes of the host so that they havereduced affinity for deoxynivalenol has also been used to reduce thevirulence of Fusarium graminearum. Genes used to help reduce Fusariumhead blight include, but are not limited to, Tri101 (Fusarium), PDRS(yeast), tlp-1 (oat), tlp-2 (oat), leaf tlp-1 (wheat), tlp (rice), tlp-4(oat), endochitinase, exochitinase, glucanase (Fusarium), permatin(oat), seed hordothionin (barley), alpha-thionin (wheat), acid glucanase(alfalfa), chitinase (barley and rice), class beta II-1,3-glucanase(barley), PR5/tlp (Arabidopsis), zeamatin (maize), type 1 RIP (barley),NPR1 (Arabidopsis), lactoferrin (mammal), oxalylCoA-decarboxylase(bacterium), IAP (baculovirus), ced-9 (C. elegans), and glucanase (riceand barley).

A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogen or aparasite is yet another example. Thus, fungalendo-α-1,4-D-polygalacturonases facilitate fungal colonization and plantnutrient release by solubilizing plant cell wallhomo-α-1,4-D-galacturonase. The cloning and characterization of a genethat encodes a bean endopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein is known inthe art.

Examples of Nucleic Acid Molecules that Confer Tolerance or Resistanceto an Herbicide.

A wide variety of nucleic acid molecules are available that providetolerance or resistance to a herbicide. Examples include genes or codingsequences encoding acetohydroxy acid synthase, a chimeric protein of ratcytochrome P4507A1, yeast NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase,glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, phosphotransferases, ALSand AHAS enzymes and other genes or coding sequences which conferresistance to a herbicide such as an imidazalinone or a sulfonylurea(see also, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,011; 5,013,659; 5,141,870; 5,767,361;5,731,180; 5,304,732; 4,761,373; 5,331,107; 5,928,937; and 5,378,824;and international publication WO 96/33270, each of which areincorporated herein by reference for this purpose).

Glyphosate resistance conferred by mutant5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and aroA gene) andother phosphono compounds, such as glufosinate (phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) and Streptomyces hygroscopicus (bar) genes, andpyridinoxy or phenoxy propionic acids and cyclohexanediones (ACCaseinhibitor-encoding genes) are still further examples. For example, thenucleotide sequence of a form of EPSP which can confer glyphosateresistance is known in the art. A DNA molecule encoding a mutant aroAgene can be obtained under ATCC accession number 39256, and thenucleotide sequence of the mutant gene is known. Nucleotide sequences ofglutamine synthetase genes that confer tolerance or resistance toherbicides such as L-phosphinothricin are also known in the art. Thenucleotide sequence of a PAT gene is known in the art, as is theproduction of transgenic plants that express chimeric bar genes codingfor PAT activity. See, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,646,024; 5,561,236;6,114,608; 6,943,282; 6,403,865. Exemplary genes conferring resistanceto phenoxy propionic acids and cyclohexanediones, such as sethoxydim andhaloxyfop are the Accl-S1, Accl-S2, and Accl-S3 genes are also known.

An herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbA andgs+ genes) such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,648 or abenzonitrile (nitrilase gene) may be used. Nucleotide sequences fornitrilase genes are disclosed and DNA molecules containing these genesare available under ATCC Accession Nos. 53435, 67441, and 67442. Cloningand expression of DNA coding for a glutathione S-transferase isdescribed in the art.

Acetohydroxy acid synthase has been found to make plants that expressthis enzyme tolerant or resistant to multiple types of herbicides andhas been introduced into a variety of plants. Other genes that confertolerance or resistance to herbicides include a gene encoding a chimericprotein of rat cytochrome P4507A1 and yeast NADPH-cytochrome P450oxidoreductase, genes for glutathione reductase and superoxidedismutase, and genes for various phosphotransferases.

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox) is necessary for the production ofchlorophyll, which is necessary for survival in all plants. The protoxenzyme serves as the target for a variety of herbicidal compounds. Theseherbicides also inhibit growth of different species of plants present,causing their total destruction. The development of plants containingaltered protox activity that are tolerant or resistant to theseherbicides is described in the art. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos.6,288,306, 6,282,837, 5,767,373

Examples of Nucleic Acid Molecules that Confer or Contribute to a ValueAdded Trait

Genes, coding sequences, or targets that confer or improve grain qualityinclude, without limitation, altered fatty acids (for example, oleic,linoleic, linolenic), altered phosphorus content (for example, usingphytase), altered carbohydrates such as modulating the branching patternof starch or altering thioredoxin, Bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene,Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase, tomato invertase, alpha-amylasegene, starch branching enzyme II, UDP-D-xylose 4-epimerase, Fragile 1and 2, Ref1, HCHL, C4H, high oil seed such as by modification of starchlevels (AGP). Fatty acid modification genes mentioned above may also beused to affect starch content and/or composition through theinterrelationship of the starch and oil pathways, altered content orcomposition of antioxidants such as tocopherol or tocotrienols, such asusing a phytl prenyl transferase (ppt), or through alteration of ahomogentisate geranyl geranyl transferase (hggt). Genes, codingsequences, or targets that can be targets to confer or improve grainquality are disclosed in, for example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,809,654,6,787,683, 6,531,648, 6,423,886, 6,232,529, 6,197,561, 6,825,397.Decreased phytate content, for example, can be accomplished by: (1)introduction of a phytase-encoding gene that enhances breakdown ofphytate, adding more free phosphate to the transformed plant; or (2)up-regulation of a gene that reduces phytate content. For example, thenucleotide sequence of an Aspergillus niger phytase gene has beendescribed in the art.

Genes, coding sequences or targets for altered essential seed aminoacids, such as one or more of lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophanor altered sulfur amino acid content are also provided, can be used inthe methods and plants described herein and are described in, forexample, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,803,498, 6,127,600, 6,194,638, 6,346,403,6,080,913, 5,990,389, 5,939,599, 5,912,414, 5,850,016, 5,885,802,5,885,801, 5,633,436, 5,559,223.

The content of high-molecular weight gluten subunits (HMS-GS) may bealtered in a further example using genomic clones isolated for differentsubunits. For example, genomic clones have transformed wheat with genesthat encode a modified HMW-GS.

Increased protein metabolism, zinc and iron content, may be achieved,for example, by regulating the NAC gene, increasing protein metabolismby regulating the Gpc-B 1 gene, or regulating glutenin and gliadingenes.

Examples of Genes that Control Male Sterility

Field crops are bred through techniques that take advantage of theplant's method of pollination, such as self-pollination, sib-pollinationor cross-pollination. As used herein, the term cross-pollinationincludes pollination with pollen from a flower on a different plant froma different family or line and does not include self-pollination orsib-pollination. Wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.), are recognized tobe naturally self-pollinated plants which, while capable of undergoingcross-pollination, rarely do so in nature. Thus, intervention forcontrol of pollination is needed for the establishment of superiorvarieties.

Many methods are available for producing progeny with a new combinationof genetic traits by cross pollinating one wheat plant with another byemasculating flowers of a designated female plant and pollinating thefemale parent with pollen from the designated male parent. Suitablemethods of cross-pollination of wheat plants are described, for example,in U.S. Pat. No. 8,809,654, which is herein incorporated by reference,but other methods can be used, or modified, as is known to those skilledin the art.

Genes, coding sequences or targets that control or alter male sterilityand methods for conferring male sterility and male sterile plants areprovided. There are several methods of conferring genetic male sterilityavailable, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,809,654, 4,654,465 and4,727,219, 3,861,709, 3,710,511, 5,432,068. For additional examples ofnuclear male and female sterility systems and genes, see also, U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,859,341; 6,297,426; 5,478,369; 5,824,524; 5,850,014; and6,265,640. Further examples include use of multiple mutant genes atseparate locations within the genome that confer male sterility. Inaddition to these methods, a system of nuclear male sterility thatincludes: identifying a gene which is critical to male fertility;silencing this native gene which is critical to male fertility; removingthe native promoter from the essential male fertility gene and replacingit with an inducible promoter; inserting this genetically engineeredgene back into the plant; and thus creating a plant that is male sterilebecause the inducible promoter is not “on”, resulting in the malefertility gene not being transcribed, is known. Fertility is restored byinducing, or turning “on”, the promoter, which in turn allows the genethat confers male fertility to be transcribed. Introduction of adeacetylase gene under the control of a tapetum-specific promoter andwith the application of the chemical N—Ac-PPT is another example, as isintroduction of various stamen-specific promoters linked with acytotoxic gene or introduction of the barnase and the barstar genes.

Examples of Genes that Create a Site for Site Specific DNA Integration.

Genes, coding sequences or targets that create a site for site specificDNA integration can also be used such as the introduction of FRT sitesthat may be used in the FLP/FRT system and/or Lox sites that may be usedin the Cre/Lox system. Other systems that may be used include the Ginrecombinase of phage Mu, the Pin recombinase of E. coli, and the R/RSsystem of the pSR1 plasmid.

Examples of Genes that Affect Abiotic Stress Resistance.

Genes that affect abiotic stress resistance (including but not limitedto flowering, ear and seed development, enhancement of nitrogenutilization efficiency, altered nitrogen responsiveness, droughtresistance or tolerance, cold resistance or tolerance, and saltresistance or tolerance) and increased yield under stress are amongexamples of a myriad of molecules known for such purposes. For example,see: U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,809,654, 5,892,009, 5,965,705, 5,929,305,5,891,859, 6,417,428, 6,664,446, 6,706,866, 6,717,034, 6,801,104,6,177,275, 6,107,547, 6,084,153. For example, water use efficiency canbe altered through alteration of malate. In addition, various genes,including CBF genes and transcription factors, can be effective inmitigating the negative effects of freezing, high salinity, and droughton plants, as well as conferring other positive effects on plantphenotype. Abscisic acid can be altered in plants, resulting in improvedplant phenotype, such as increased yield and/or increased tolerance toabiotic stress. Cytokinin expression can be modified resulting in plantswith increased stress tolerance, such as drought tolerance, and/orincreased yield. Nitrogen utilization can be enhanced and/or nitrogenresponsiveness can be altered. Ethylene can be altered. Planttranscription factors or transcriptional regulators of abiotic stresscan also be altered.

Improved tolerance to water stress from drought or high salt watercondition may also be provided by use of nucleic acid molecules. TheHVA1 protein belongs to the group 3 LEA proteins that include othermembers such as wheat pMA2005, cotton D-7, carrot Dc3, and rape pLEA76.These proteins are characterized by 11-mer tandem repeats of amino aciddomains which may form a probable amphophilic alpha-helical structurethat presents a hydrophilic surface with a hydrophobic stripe. Thebarley HVA1 gene and the wheat pMA2005 gene are highly similar at boththe nucleotide level and predicted amino acid level. These two monocotgenes are closely related to the cotton D-7 gene and carrot Dc3 genewith which they share a similar structural gene organization. There is,therefore, a correlation between LEA gene expression or LEA proteinaccumulation with stress tolerance in a number of plants. For example,in severely dehydrated wheat seedlings, the accumulation of high levelsof group 3 LEA proteins was correlated with tissue dehydrationtolerance. Studies on several Indica varieties of rice showed that thelevels of group 2 LEA proteins (also known as dehydrins) and group 3 LEAproteins in roots were significantly higher in salt-tolerant varietiescompared with sensitive varieties. The barley HVA1 gene was transformedinto wheat. Transformed wheat plants showed increased tolerance to waterstress.

Improved water stress tolerance may be achieved by various methods, andin on example, through increased mannitol levels via the bacterialmannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase gene. It is known to produce a plantwith a genetic basis for coping with water deficit by introduction ofthe bacterial mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, mt1D, intotobacco cells via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Root and leaftissues from transgenic plants regenerated from these transformedtobacco cells contained up to 100 mM mannitol. Control plants containedno detectable mannitol. To determine whether the transgenic tobaccoplants exhibited increased tolerance to water deficit, the growth oftransgenic plants was compared to that of untransformed control plantsin the presence of 250 mM NaCl. After 30 days of exposure to 250 mMNaCl, transgenic plants had decreased weight loss and increased heightrelative to their untransformed counterparts. The presence of mannitolin these transformed tobacco plants contributed to water deficittolerance at the cellular level.

Other genes and transcription factors that affect plant growth andagronomic traits such as yield, flowering, plant growth and/or plantstructure, can be introduced or introgressed into plants.

Methods for Wheat Transformation

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, includingbiological and physical plant transformation protocols. In addition,expression vectors and in vitro culture methods for plant cell or tissuetransformation and regeneration of plants are available.

One method for introducing an expression vector into plants is based onthe natural transformation system of Agrobacterium. A. tumefaciens andA. rhizogenes are plant pathogenic soil bacteria that geneticallytransform plant cells. The Ti and Ri plasmids of A. tumefaciens and A.rhizogenes, respectively, carry genes responsible for genetictransformation of the plant. Descriptions of Agrobacterium vectorsystems and methods for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer are wellknown in the art. Several methods of plant transformation, collectivelyreferred to as direct gene transfer, have been developed as analternative to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A generallyapplicable method of plant transformation is microproj ectile-mediatedtransformation, wherein DNA is carried on the surface ofmicroprojectiles measuring 1 to 4 pm. The expression vector isintroduced into plant tissues with a biolistic device that acceleratesthe microprojectiles to speeds of 300 to 600 m/s, which is sufficient topenetrate plant cell walls and membranes. Another method for physicaldelivery of DNA to plants is sonication of target cells. Alternatively,liposome and spheroplast fusion have been used to introduce expressionvectors into plants. Direct uptake of DNA into protoplasts using CaCl₂)precipitation, polyvinyl alcohol or polyL-ornithine has also beenreported. Electroporation of protoplasts and whole cells and tissues hasalso been described. Following transformation of wheat target tissues,expression of the above-described selectable marker genes allows forpreferential selection of transformed cells, tissues and/or plants,using regeneration and selection methods that are well known in the art.

The foregoing methods for transformation would typically be used forproducing a transgenic variety. The transgenic variety could then becrossed, with another (non-transformed or transformed) variety, in orderto produce a new transgenic variety. Alternatively, a genetic traitwhich has been engineered into a particular wheat cultivar using theforegoing transformation techniques could be moved into another cultivarusing traditional backcrossing techniques that are well known in theplant breeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be usedto move an engineered trait from a public, non-elite variety into anelite variety, or from a variety containing a foreign gene in its genomeinto a variety or varieties which do not contain that gene. As usedherein, “crossing” can refer to a simple X by Y cross, or the process ofbackcrossing, depending on the context.

Genetic Marker Profile Through SSR and First-Generation Progeny

In addition to phenotypic observations, a plant can also be identifiedby its genotype. The genotype of a plant can be characterized through agenetic marker profile, which can identify plants of the same variety ora related variety or be used to determine or validate a pedigree.Genetic marker profiles can be obtained by techniques such asRestriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly AmplifiedPolymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms(AFLPs), Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) which are also referred to asmicrosatellites, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs).

Particular markers used for these purposes are not limited to anyparticular set of markers, but are envisioned to include any type ofmarker and marker profile that provides a means of distinguishingvarieties. One method of comparison is to use only homozygous loci forSNR-0068.

In addition to being used for identification of wheat cultivar SNR-0068and plant parts and plant cells of cultivar SNR-0068, the geneticprofile may be used to identify a wheat plant produced through the useof SNR-0068 or to verify a pedigree for progeny plants produced throughthe use of SNR-0068. The genetic marker profile is also useful inbreeding and developing backcross conversions.

In some embodiments, the present invention comprises a wheat plantcharacterized by molecular and physiological data obtained from therepresentative sample of SNR-0068, deposited with the American TypeCulture Collection (ATCC). Provided in further embodiments of theinvention is a wheat plant formed by the combination of the SNR-0068plant or plant cell with another wheat plant or cell and comprising thehomozygous alleles of the variety.

Means of performing genetic marker profiles using SSR polymorphisms arewell known in the art. SSRs are genetic markers based on polymorphismsin repeated nucleotide sequences, such as microsatellites. A markersystem based on SSRs can be highly informative in linkage analysisrelative to other marker systems in that multiple alleles may bepresent. Another advantage of this type of marker is that, through useof flanking primers, detection of SSRs can be achieved, for example, bythe polymerase chain reaction (PCR), thereby eliminating the need forlabor-intensive Southern hybridization. PCR detection uses twooligonucleotide primers flanking the polymorphic segment of repetitiveDNA. Repeated cycles of heat denaturation of the DNA, followed byannealing of the primers to their complementary sequences at lowtemperatures, and extension of the annealed primers with DNA polymerase,comprise the major part of the methodology.

Following amplification, markers can be scored by electrophoresis of theamplification products. Scoring of marker genotype is based on the sizeof the amplified fragment, which may be measured by the number of basepairs of the fragment. While variation in the primer used or inlaboratory procedures can affect the reported fragment size, relativevalues should remain constant regardless of the specific primer orlaboratory used. When comparing varieties, all SSR profiles may beperformed in the same lab.

The SSR profile of wheat plant SNR-0068 can be used to identify plantscomprising SNR-0068 as a parent, since such plants will comprise thesame homozygous alleles as SNR-0068. Because the wheat cultivar isessentially homozygous at all relevant loci, most loci should have onlyone type of allele present. In contrast, a genetic marker profile of anF₁ progeny should be the sum of those parents, e.g., if one parent washomozygous for allele x at a particular locus, and the other parenthomozygous for allele y at that locus, then the F₁ progeny will be xy(heterozygous) at that locus. Subsequent generations of progeny producedby selection and breeding are expected to be of genotype x (homozygous),y (homozygous), or xy (heterozygous) for that locus position. When theF₁ plant is selfed or sibbed for successive filial generations, thelocus should be either x or y for that position.

In addition, plants and plant parts substantially benefiting from theuse of SNR-0068 in their development, such as SNR-0068 comprising abackcross conversion, transgene, or genetic sterility factor, may beidentified by having a molecular marker profile with a high percentidentity to SNR-0068. In an embodiment, such a percent identity might be95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5% or 99.9% identical to SNR-0068.

The SSR profile of SNR-0068 also can be used to identify essentiallyderived varieties and other progeny varieties developed from the use ofSNR-0068, as well as cells and other plant parts thereof. Progeny plantsand plant parts produced using SNR-0068 may be identified by having amolecular marker profile of at least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%,60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%,86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or99.5% genetic contribution from SNR-0068, as measured by either percentidentity or percent similarity. Such progeny may be furthercharacterized as being within a pedigree distance of SNR-0068, such aswithin 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 or fewer cross-pollinations to a wheat plantother than SNR-0068 or a plant that has SNR-0068 as a progenitor. Uniquemolecular profiles may be identified with other molecular tools such asSNPs and RFLPs.

While determining the SSR genetic marker profile of a plant as describedabove, several unique SSR profiles may also be identified that did notappear in either parent plant. Such unique SSR profiles may arise duringthe breeding process from recombination or mutation. A combination ofseveral unique alleles provides a means of identifying a plant variety,an F₁ progeny produced from such variety, and further progeny producedfrom such variety.

Gene Conversion

When the term “wheat plant” is used in the context of the presentinvention, this also includes any gene conversions of that cultivar.Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the cultivar. For example, a varietymay be backcrossed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more times to therecurrent parent. The parental wheat plant that contributes the gene forthe desired characteristic is termed the “nonrecurrent” or “donor”parent. This terminology refers to the fact that the nonrecurrent parentis used one time in the backcross protocol and therefore does not recur.The parental wheat plant to which the gene or genes from thenonrecurrent parent are transferred is known as the recurrent parent, asit is used for several rounds in the backcrossing protocol. In a typicalbackcross protocol, the original variety of interest (recurrent parent)is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent) that carries thesingle gene of interest to be transferred. The resulting progeny fromthis cross are then crossed again to the recurrent parent and theprocess is repeated until a wheat plant is obtained wherein essentiallyall of the morphological and physiological characteristics of therecurrent parent are recovered in the converted plant, in addition tothe single transferred gene from the nonrecurrent parent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent contributes to a successfulbackcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol is to alter orsubstitute a single trait or characteristic in the original variety. Toaccomplish this, a single gene of the recurrent variety is modified orsubstituted with the desired gene from the nonrecurrent parent, whileretaining essentially all of the rest of the genetic, and therefore themorphological and physiological, constitution of the original variety.The choice of the particular nonrecurrent parent will depend on thepurpose of the backcross. One of the major purposes is to addcommercially desirable, agronomically important traits to the plant. Theexact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristic or traitbeing altered. Although backcrossing methods are simplified when thecharacteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, a recessiveallele may also be transferred. In this instance, it may be necessary tointroduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

Many single gene traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new variety, but that can beimproved by backcrossing techniques. Single gene traits may or may notbe transgenic. Examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,male sterility, waxy starch, herbicide tolerance or resistance,resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, insect resistance ortolerance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrialusage, yield stability and yield enhancement. These genes are generallyinherited through the nucleus.

Introduction of a New Trait or Locus into SNR-0068

Cultivar SNR-0068 represents a new base genetic variety into which a newlocus or trait may be introgressed. Direct transformation andbackcrossing represent two important methods that can be used toaccomplish such an introgression.

Backcross Conversions of SNR-0068

A backcross conversion of SNR-0068 occurs when DNA sequences areintroduced through backcrossing, with SNR-0068 utilized as the recurrentparent. Both naturally occurring and transgenic DNA sequences may beintroduced through backcrossing techniques. A backcross conversion mayproduce a plant with a trait or locus conversion in at least two or morebackcrosses, including at least 2 crosses, at least 3 crosses, at least4 crosses, at least 5 crosses, or additional crosses. Molecular markerassisted breeding or selection may be utilized to reduce the number ofbackcrosses necessary to achieve the backcross conversion. For example,a backcross conversion can be made in as few as two backcrosses.

The complexity of the backcross conversion method depends on the type oftrait being transferred (single genes or closely linked genes versusunlinked genes), the level of expression of the trait, the type ofinheritance (cytoplasmic or nuclear) and the types of parents includedin the cross. It is understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat for single gene traits that are relatively easy to classify, thebackcross method is effective and relatively easy to manage. Desiredtraits that may be transferred through backcross conversion include, butare not limited to, sterility (nuclear and cytoplasmic), fertilityrestoration, nutritional enhancements, drought tolerance, nitrogenutilization, altered fatty acid profile, low phytate, industrialenhancements, disease resistance or tolerance (bacterial, fungal orviral), insect resistance or tolerance, and herbicide tolerance orresistance. In addition, an introgression site itself, such as an FRTsite, Lox site, or other site-specific integration site, may be insertedby backcrossing and utilized for direct insertion of one or more genesof interest into a specific plant variety. A single locus may containseveral transgenes, such as a transgene for disease resistance that, inthe same expression vector, also contains a transgene for herbicidetolerance or resistance. The gene for herbicide tolerance or resistancemay be used as a selectable marker and/or as a phenotypic trait. A locusconversion of site specific integration system allows for theintegration of multiple genes at the converted loci.

The backcross conversion may result from either the transfer of adominant allele or a recessive allele. Selection of progeny containingthe trait of interest is accomplished by direct selection for a traitassociated with a dominant allele. Transgenes transferred viabackcrossing typically function as a dominant single gene trait and arerelatively easy to classify. Selection of progeny for a trait that istransferred via a recessive allele requires growing and selling thefirst backcross generation to determine which plants carry the recessivealleles. Recessive traits may require additional progeny testing insuccessive backcross generations to determine the presence of the locusof interest. The last backcross generation is usually selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the gene(s) being transferred, although abackcross conversion with a stably introgressed trait may also bemaintained by further backcrossing to the recurrent parent withselection for the converted trait.

Along with selection for the trait of interest, progeny is selected forthe phenotype of the recurrent parent. The backcross is a form ofinbreeding, and the features of the recurrent parent are automaticallyrecovered after successive backcrosses. Some sources suggest from one tofour or more backcrosses, but as noted above, the number of backcrossesnecessary can be reduced with the use of molecular markers. Otherfactors, such as a genetically similar donor parent, may also reduce thenumber of backcrosses necessary. Backcrossing is easiest for simplyinherited, dominant and easily recognized traits.

One process for adding or modifying a trait or locus in wheat cultivarSNR-0068 comprises crossing SNR-0068 plants grown from SNR-0068 seedwith plants of another wheat cultivar that comprise the desired trait orlocus, selecting F₁ progeny plants that comprise the desired trait orlocus to produce selected F₁ progeny plants, crossing the selectedprogeny plants with the SNR-0068 plants to produce backcross progenyplants, selecting for backcross progeny plants that have the desiredtrait or locus and the morphological characteristics of wheat cultivarSNR-0068 to produce selected backcross progeny plants, and backcrossingto SNR-0068 three or more times in succession to produce selected fourthor higher backcross progeny plants that comprise said trait or locus.The modified SNR-0068 may be further characterized as having essentiallyall of the morphological and physiological characteristics of wheatcultivar SNR-0068 described here, as determined at the 5% significancelevel when grown in the same environmental conditions and/or may becharacterized by percent similarity or identity to SNR-0068 asdetermined by SSR markers. The above method may be utilized with fewerbackcrosses in appropriate situations, such as when the donor parent ishighly related, or markers are used in the selection step. Desirednucleic acids that may be used include those nucleic acids known in theart, some of which are listed herein, that will affect traits throughnucleic acid expression or inhibition. Desired loci include theintrogression of FRT, Lox, and other sites for site specificintegration, which may also affect a desired trait if a functionalnucleic acid is inserted at the integration site

In addition, the above process and other similar processes describedherein may be used to produce first generation progeny wheat seed byadding a step at the end of the process that comprises crossing SNR-0068with the introgressed trait or locus with a different wheat plant andharvesting the resultant first generation progeny wheat seed.

A further embodiment of the invention is a back-cross conversion ofwheat cultivar SNR-0068. A backcross conversion occurs when DNAsequences are introduced through traditional (non-transformation)breeding techniques, such as backcrossing. DNA sequences, whethernaturally occurring or transgenes, may be introduced using thesetraditional breeding techniques. Desired traits transferred through thisprocess include, but are not limited to nutritional enhancements,industrial enhancements, disease resistance or tolerance, insectresistance or tolerance, herbicide tolerance or resistance, agronomicenhancements, grain quality enhancement, waxy starch, breedingenhancements, seed production enhancements, and male sterility.Descriptions of some of the cytoplasmic male sterility genes, nuclearmale sterility genes, chemical hybridizing agents, male fertilityrestoration genes, and methods of using the aforementioned are known.Examples of genes for other traits include: Leaf rust resistance genes(Lr series such as Lr1, Lr10, Lr21, Lr22, Lr22a, Lr32, Lr37, Lr41, Lr42,and Lr43), Fusarium head blight-resistance genes (QFhs.ndsu-3B andQFhs.ndsu-2A), powdery mildew resistance genes (Pm21), common buntresistance genes (Bt-10), and wheat streak mosaic virus resistance gene(Wsml), Russian wheat aphid resistance genes (Dn series such as Dn1,Dn2, Dn4, and Dn5), Black stem rust resistance genes (Sr38), Yellow rustresistance genes (Yr series such as Yr 1, YrSD, Yrsu, Yr17, Yr15, andYrH52), aluminum tolerance genes (Alt(BH)), dwarf genes (Rht),vernalization genes (Vrn), Hessian fly resistance genes (H9, H10, H21,and H29), grain color genes (R/r), glyphosate resistance genes (EPSPS),glufosinate genes (bar, pat) and water stress tolerance genes (Hva 1 andmt1D). The trait of interest is transferred from the donor parent to therecurrent parent, which in this case is the wheat plant disclosedherein, SNR-0068. Single gene traits may result from either the transferof a dominant allele or a recessive allele. Selection of progenycontaining the trait of interest is done by direct selection for a traitassociated with a dominant allele. Selection of progeny for a trait thatis transferred via a recessive allele requires growing and selfing thefirst backcross to determine which plants carry the recessive alleles.Recessive traits may require additional progeny testing in successivebackcross generations to determine the presence of the gene of interest.

Using SNR-0068 to Develop Other Wheat Varieties

Wheat varieties such as SNR-0068 are typically developed for use in seedand grain production. However, wheat varieties such as SNR-0068 alsoprovide a source of breeding material that may be used to develop newwheat varieties. Plant breeding techniques known in the art and used ina wheat plant breeding program include, but are not limited to,recurrent selection, mass selection, bulk selection, mass selection,backcrossing, pedigree breeding, open pollination breeding, restrictionfragment length polymorphism enhanced selection, genetic marker enhancedselection, making double haploids, and transformation. Often,combinations of these techniques are used. The development of wheatvarieties in a plant breeding program requires, in general, thedevelopment and evaluation of homozygous varieties. There are manyanalytical methods available to evaluate a new variety. The oldest andmost traditional method of analysis is the observation of phenotypictraits, but genotypic analysis may also be used.

Additional Breeding Methods

In an embodiment, this invention is directed to methods for producing awheat plant by crossing a first parent wheat plant with a second parentwheat plant wherein either the first or second parent wheat plant iscultivar SNR-0068. The other parent may be any other wheat plant, suchas a wheat plant that is part of a synthetic or natural population. Anysuch methods using wheat cultivar SNR-0068 are part of this invention:selfing, sibbing, backcrosses, mass selection, pedigree breeding, bulkselection, hybrid production, and crosses to populations. These methodsare well known in the art and some of the more commonly used breedingmethods are described below.

The following describes breeding methods that may be used with wheatcultivar SNR-0068 in the development of further wheat plants. One suchembodiment is a method for developing a cultivar SNR-0068 progeny wheatplant in a wheat plant breeding program comprising: obtaining the wheatplant, or a part thereof, of cultivar SNR-0068 utilizing said plant orplant part as a source of breeding material and selecting a wheatcultivar SNR-0068 progeny plant with molecular markers in common withcultivar SNR-0068 and/or with morphological and/or physiologicalcharacteristics selected from the characteristics listed in the Tablesherein. Breeding steps that may be used in the wheat plant breedingprogram include pedigree breeding, backcrossing, mutation breeding, andrecurrent selection. In conjunction with these steps, techniques such asRFLP-enhanced selection, genetic marker enhanced selection (e.g., SSRmarkers) and the making of double haploids may be utilized.

Another method involves producing a population of wheat cultivarSNR-0068 progeny wheat plants, comprising crossing cultivar SNR-0068with another wheat plant, thereby producing a population of wheatplants, which, on average, derive 50% of their alleles from wheatcultivar SNR-0068. A plant of this population may be selected andrepeatedly selfed or sibbed with a wheat cultivar resulting from thesesuccessive filial generations. One embodiment of this invention is thewheat cultivar produced by this method and that has obtained at least50% of its alleles from wheat cultivar SNR-0068.

One of ordinary skill in the art of plant breeding would know how toevaluate the traits of two plant varieties to determine if there is nosignificant difference between the two traits expressed by thosevarieties. Thus, the invention includes wheat cultivar SNR-0068 progenywheat plants comprising a combination of at least two cultivar SNR-0068traits selected from the group consisting of those listed in the Tablesherein, so that said progeny wheat plant is not significantly differentfor said traits than wheat cultivar SNR-0068. Using techniques describedherein, molecular markers may be used to identify said progeny plant asa wheat cultivar SNR-0068 progeny plant. Mean trait values may be usedto determine whether trait differences are significant, and the traitsmay be measured on plants grown under the same environmental conditions.Once such a variety is developed its value is substantial, as it isimportant to advance the germplasm base as a whole in order to maintainor improve traits such as yield, disease resistance or tolerance, pestresistance or tolerance, and plant performance in extreme environmentalconditions.

Progeny of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 may also be characterized throughtheir filial relationship with wheat cultivar SNR-0068, as for example,being within a certain number of breeding crosses of wheat cultivarSNR-0068. A breeding cross is a cross made to introduce new geneticsinto the progeny, and is distinguished from a cross, such as a self or asib cross, made to select among existing genetic alleles. The lower thenumber of breeding crosses in the pedigree, the closer the relationshipbetween wheat cultivar SNR-0068 and its progeny. For example, progenyproduced by the methods described herein may be within 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5breeding crosses of wheat cultivar SNR-0068.

Pedigree Breeding

Pedigree breeding starts with the crossing of two genotypes, such asSNR-0068 and another wheat variety having one or more desirablecharacteristics that is lacking, or which complements SNR-0068. If thetwo original parents do not provide all the desired characteristics,other sources can be included in the breeding population. In thepedigree method, superior plants are selfed and selected in successivefilial generations. In the succeeding filial generations, theheterozygous condition gives way to homogeneous varieties as a result ofself-pollination and selection. Typically in the pedigree method ofbreeding, five or more successive filial generations of selfing andselection is practiced: F₁ to F₂; F₂ to F₃; F₃ to F₄; F₄ to F₅, etc.After a sufficient amount of inbreeding, successive filial generationswill serve to increase seed of the developed variety. In an embodiment,the developed variety comprises homozygous alleles at about 95% or moreof its loci.

In addition to being used to create a backcross conversion, backcrossingcan also be used in combination with pedigree breeding. As discussedpreviously, backcrossing can be used to transfer one or morespecifically desirable traits from one variety, the donor parent, to adeveloped variety called the recurrent parent, which has overall goodagronomic characteristics yet lacks that desirable trait or traits.However, the same procedure can be used to move the progeny toward thegenotype of the recurrent parent but at the same time retain manycomponents of the non-recurrent parent by stopping the backcrossing atan early stage and proceeding with selfing and selection. For example, awheat variety may be crossed with another variety to produce afirst-generation progeny plant. The first-generation progeny plant maythen be backcrossed to one of its parent varieties to create a BC1 orBC2. Progeny are selfed and selected so that the newly developed varietyhas many of the attributes of the recurrent parent and yet several ofthe desired attributes of the non-recurrent parent. This approachleverages the value and strengths of the recurrent parent for use in newwheat varieties.

Therefore, an embodiment of this invention is a method of making abackcross conversion of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 comprising the steps ofcrossing a plant of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 with a donor plantcomprising a desired trait, selecting an F1 progeny plant comprising thedesired trait, and backcrossing the selected F1 progeny plant to a plantof wheat cultivar SNR-0068. This method may further comprise the step ofobtaining a molecular marker profile of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 andusing the molecular marker profile to select for a progeny plant withthe desired trait and the molecular marker profile of SNR-0068. In oneembodiment, the desired trait is a mutant gene or transgene present inthe donor parent.

Recurrent Selection and Mass Selection

Recurrent selection is a method used in a plant breeding program toimprove a population of plants. SNR-0068 is suitable for use in arecurrent selection program. The method entails individual plants crosspollinating with each other to form progeny. The progeny is grown andthe superior progeny selected by any number of selection methods, whichinclude individual plant, half-sib progeny, full-sib progeny and selfedprogeny. The selected progeny is cross pollinated with each other toform progeny for another population. This population is planted, andagain superior plants are selected to cross pollinate with each other.Recurrent selection is a cyclical process and therefore can be repeatedas many times as desired. The objective of recurrent selection is toimprove the traits of a population. The improved population can then beused as a source of breeding material to obtain new varieties forcommercial or breeding use, including the production of a syntheticcultivar. A synthetic cultivar is the resultant progeny formed by theintercrossing of several selected varieties.

Mass selection is a useful technique when used in conjunction withmolecular marker enhanced selection. In mass selection, seeds fromindividuals are selected based on phenotype or genotype. These selectedseeds are then bulked and used to grow the next generation. Bulkselection requires growing a population of plants in a bulk plot,allowing the plants to self-pollinate, harvesting the seed in bulk andthen using a sample of the seed harvested in bulk to plant the nextgeneration. Also, instead of self-pollination, directed pollinationcould be used as part of the breeding program.

Mutation Breeding

Mutation breeding is another method of introducing new traits into wheatcultivar SNR-0068. Mutations that occur spontaneously or areartificially induced can be useful sources of variability for a plantbreeder. The goal of artificial mutagenesis is to increase the rate ofmutation for a desired characteristic. Mutation rates can be increasedby many different means including temperature, long-term seed storage,tissue culture conditions, radiation, such as X-rays, Gamma rays (e.g.cobalt 60 or cesium 137), neutrons, (product of nuclear fission byuranium 235 in an atomic reactor), Beta radiation (emitted fromradioisotopes such as phosphorus 32 or carbon 14), or ultravioletradiation (optionally from 2500 to 2900 nm), or chemical mutagens (suchas base analogues (5-bromo-uracil), related compounds (8-ethoxycaffeine), antibiotics (streptonigrin), alkylating agents (sulfurmustards, nitrogen mustards, epoxides, ethylenamines, sulfates,sulfonates, sulfones, lactones), azide, hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, oracridines. Once a desired trait is observed through mutagenesis thetrait may then be incorporated into existing germplasm by traditionalbreeding techniques. In addition, mutations created in other wheatplants may be used to produce a backcross conversion of wheat cultivarSNR-0068 that comprises such mutation. Further embodiments of theinvention are the treatment of SNR-0068 with a mutagen and the plantproduced by mutagenesis of SNR-0068.

Breeding with Molecular Markers

Molecular markers, which include markers identified through the use oftechniques such as Isozyme Electrophoresis, Restriction Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs),Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions

(SCARs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), SimpleSequence Repeats (SSRs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), maybe used in plant breeding methods utilizing wheat cultivar SNR-0068.Isozyme Electrophoresis and RFLPs have been widely used to determinegenetic composition.

SSR technology is currently the most efficient and practical markertechnology; more marker loci can be routinely used and more alleles permarker locus can be found using SSRs in comparison to RFLPs. SingleNucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) may also be used to identify the uniquegenetic composition of the invention and progeny varieties retainingthat unique genetic composition. Various molecular marker techniques maybe used in combination to enhance overall resolution. Wheat DNAmolecular marker linkage maps have been rapidly constructed and widelyimplemented in genetic studies.

One use of molecular markers is QTL mapping. QTL mapping is the use ofmarkers which are known to be closely linked to alleles that havemeasurable effects on a quantitative trait. Selection in the breedingprocess is based upon the accumulation of markers linked to the positiveeffecting alleles and/or the elimination of the markers linked to thenegative effecting alleles from the plant's genome.

Molecular markers can also be used during the breeding process for theselection of qualitative traits. For example, markers closely linked toalleles or markers containing sequences within the actual alleles ofinterest can be used to select plants that contain the alleles ofinterest during a backcrossing breeding program. The markers can also beused to select for the genome of the recurrent parent and against thegenome of the donor parent. Using this procedure can minimize the amountof genome from the donor parent that remains in the selected plants. Itcan also be used to reduce the number of crosses back to the recurrentparent needed in a backcrossing program. The use of molecular markers inthe selection process is often called genetic marker enhanced selection.Molecular markers may also be used to identify and exclude certainsources of germplasm as parental varieties or ancestors of a plant byproviding a means of tracking genetic profiles through crosses.

Production of Double Haploids

The production of double haploids can also be used for the developmentof plants with a homozygous phenotype in the breeding program. Forexample, a wheat plant for which wheat cultivar SNR-0068 is a parent canbe used to produce double haploid plants. Double haploids are producedby the doubling of a set of chromosomes (1N) from a heterozygous plantto produce a completely homozygous individual. This can be advantageousbecause the process omits the generations of selfing needed to obtain ahomozygous plant from a heterozygous source.

Haploid induction systems have been developed for various plants toproduce haploid tissues, plants and seeds. The haploid induction systemcan produce haploid plants from any genotype by crossing a selected line(as female) with an inducer line. Methods for obtaining haploid plantshave also been disclosed in the art.

Thus, an embodiment of this invention is a process for making asubstantially homozygous SNR-0068 progeny plant by producing orobtaining a seed from the cross of SNR-0068 and another wheat plant andapplying double haploid methods to the F₁ seed or F₁ plant, or to anysuccessive filial generation. Based on studies in maize and currentlybeing conducted in wheat, such methods would decrease the number ofgenerations required to produce a variety with similar genetics orcharacteristics to SNR-0068.

In particular, a process of making seed retaining the molecular markerprofile of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 is contemplated, such processcomprising obtaining or producing F1 seed for which wheat cultivarSNR-0068 is a parent, inducing doubled haploids to create progenywithout the occurrence of meiotic segregation, obtaining the molecularmarker profile of wheat cultivar SNR-0068, and selecting progeny thatretain the molecular marker profile of SNR-0068. Descriptions of otherbreeding methods that are commonly used for different traits and cropsare known.

Further reproduction of the variety can occur by tissue culture andregeneration. Tissue culture of various tissues of wheat andregeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published.Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide cells which upongrowth and differentiation produce wheat plants having essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of wheat cultivarSNR-0068. Means for preparing and maintaining plant tissue culture arewell known in the art. By way of example, a tissue culture comprisingorgans has been used to produce regenerated plants.

In the description and tables, a number of terms are used. In order toprovide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification andclaims, the following definitions are provided.

When used in conjunction with the word “comprising” or other openlanguage in the claims, the words “a” and “an” denote “one or more.”About refers to embodiments or values that include the standarddeviation of the mean for a given item being measured. Allele refers toany of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all of whichrelate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell or organism,the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on a pair ofhomologous chromosomes.

Aphid resistance is scored on a scale from 1 to 9; a score of 4 or lessindicates resistance. Varieties scored as 1 to 5 appear normal andhealthy, with numbers of aphids increasing from none to up to 300 perplant. A score of 7 indicates that there are 301 to 800 aphids per plantand that the plants show slight signs of infestation. A score of 9indicates severe infestation and stunted plants with severely curled andyellow leaves.

Awn is intended to mean the elongated needle-like appendages on theflower- and seed-bearing head at the top of the cereal grain plant(e.g., wheat, common wheat, rye). Awns are attached to the lemmas.Lemmas enclose the stamen and the stigma as part of the florets. Floretsare grouped in spikelets, which in turn together comprise the head.Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first-generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny.

Backcrossing can be used to introduce one or more locus conversions fromone genetic background into another.

As used herein, the term cell includes a plant cell, whether isolated,in tissue culture, or incorporated in a plant or plant part.

Chromatography is a technique wherein a mixture of dissolved substancesis bound to a solid support followed by passing a column of fluid acrossthe solid support and varying the composition of the fluid. Thecomponents of the mixture are separated by selective elution.

Crossing is the mating of two parent plants. Cross-pollination isfertilization by the union of two gametes from different plants.

As used herein, the term disease resistance or disease resistant isdefined as the ability of plants to restrict the activities of aspecified disease, such as a fungus, virus, or bacterium. As usedherein, the term disease tolerance or disease tolerant is defined as theability of plants to endure a specified disease (such as a fungus,virus, or bacterium) or an adverse environmental condition and stillperform and produce in spite of this disorder.

Emasculation is the removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivationof the organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility. The embryo is the small plant containedwithin a mature seed.

The emergence score describes the ability of a seed to emerge from thesoil after planting. Each genotype is given a 1 to 9 score based on itspercent of emergence. A score of 1 indicates an excellent rate andpercent of emergence, an intermediate score of 5 indicates an averagerating and a 9 score indicates a very poor rate and percent ofemergence.

Enzymes are molecules which can act as catalysts in biologicalreactions.

Referring to essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics refers to characteristics of a plant recovered that areotherwise present when compared in the same environment, other thanoccasional variant traits that might arise during backcrossing or directintroduction of a transgene.

An F₁ Hybrid is the first-generation progeny of the cross of twononisogenic plants.

Gene silencing refers to the interruption or suppression of theexpression of a gene at the level of transcription or translation.

A genotype is the genetic constitution of a cell or organism. GlumeBlotch is a disease of wheat characterized by small, irregular gray tobrown spots or blotches on the glumes, although infections may alsooccur at the nodes. The disease is caused by the fungus Stagonosporumnodorum (may also be referred to as Septoria nodorum). Resistance tothis disease is scored on scales that reflect the observed extent of thedisease on the leaves of the plant. Rating scales may differ but ingeneral a low number indicates resistance and higher number suggestsdifferent levels of susceptibility.

A haploid is a cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid. As used herein, the term head refers to agroup of spikelets at the top of one plant stem. The term spike alsorefers to the head of a plant located at the top of one plant stem.

Herbicide resistance or herbicide resistant is defined as the ability ofplants to survive and reproduce following exposure to a dose ofherbicide that would normally be lethal to the plant. Herbicidetolerance or herbicide tolerant is defined as the ability of plants tosurvive and reproduce after herbicide treatment. Disease resistance ordisease resistant is defined as the ability of plants to restrict theactivities of a specified insect or pest. Disease tolerance or diseasetolerant is defined as the ability of plants to endure a specifiedinsect or pest and still perform and produce in spite of this disorder.Kernel weight refers to the weight of individual kernels (also calledseeds), often reported as the weight of one thousand kernels or “1000Kernel Weight.”

Leaf Rust is a disease of wheat characterized by pustules that arecircular or slightly elliptical, that usually do not coalesce, andcontain masses of orange to orange-brown spores. The disease is causedby the fungus Puccinia recondita f sp. tritici. Infection sitesprimarily are found on the upper surfaces of leaves and leaf sheaths,and occasionally on the neck and awns. Resistance to this disease isscored on scales that reflect the observed extent of the disease on theleaves of the plant. Rating scales may differ but in general a lownumber indicates resistance and higher number suggests different levelsof susceptibility.

Linkage is a phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

A locus is a position on a genomic sequence that is usually found by apoint of reference, for example, the position of a DNA sequence that isa gene, or part of a gene or intergenic region. A locus confers one ormore traits such as, for example, male sterility, herbicide tolerance orresistance, insect resistance or tolerance, disease resistance ortolerance, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified phytic acidmetabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism or modified proteinmetabolism. The trait may be, for example, conferred by a naturallyoccurring gene introduced into the genome of the variety bybackcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgene introducedthrough genetic transformation techniques. A locus may comprise one ormore alleles integrated at a single chromosomal location.

A locus conversion refers to plants within a variety that have beenmodified in a manner that retains the overall genetics of the varietyand further comprises one or more loci with a specific desired trait,such as male sterility, insect, disease or herbicide resistance.Examples of single locus conversions include mutant genes, transgenesand native traits finely mapped to a single locus. One or more locusconversion traits may be introduced into a single wheat variety. As usedherein, the phrase comprising a transgene, transgenic event or locusconversion means one or more transgenes, transgenic events or locusconversions. Plants may be developed by a plant breeding techniquecalled backcrossing and/or by genetic transformation to introduce agiven locus that is transgenic in origin, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a wheat cultivar arerecovered in addition to the characteristics of the locus transferredinto the variety via the backcrossing technique or by genetictransformation. It is understood that once introduced into any wheatplant genome, a locus that is transgenic in origin (transgene), can beintroduced by backcrossing as with any other locus.

A marker is a readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1. Maturity refers to the stage of plant growth at whichthe development of the kernels is complete. As used herein is meant tomean “and/or” and be interchangeable therewith unless explicitlyindicated to refer to the alternative only.

Pedigree distance is the relationship among generations based on theirancestral links as evidenced in pedigrees. It may be measured by thedistance of the pedigree from a given starting point in the ancestry.

Percent identity, as used herein, refers to the comparison of thehomozygous alleles of two wheat varieties. Percent identity isdetermined by comparing a statistically significant number of thehomozygous alleles of two developed varieties. For example, a percentidentity of 90% between wheat variety 1 and wheat variety 2 means thatthe two varieties have the same allele at 90% of their loci. Percentsimilarity as used herein refers to the comparison of the homozygousalleles of a wheat variety such as SNR-0068 with another plant, and ifthe homozygous allele of SNR-0068 matches at least one of the allelesfrom the other plant then they are scored as similar. Percent similarityis determined by comparing a statistically significant number of lociand recording the number of loci with similar alleles as a percentage. Apercent similarity of 90% between SNR-0068 and another plant means thatSNR-0068 matches at least one of the alleles of the other plant at 90%of the loci.

Phenotype is the detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

As used herein, the term plant includes reference to an immature ormature whole plant, including a plant from which seed, grain, or anthershave been removed. A seed or embryo that will produce the plant is alsoconsidered to be a plant. Reference to a plant is used broadly herein toinclude any plant at any stage of development.

A plant part refers to any part of a plant, including a plant cutting, aplant cell, a plant cell culture, a plant organ, a plant seed, and aplantlet. Examples include, without limitation, protoplasts, callus,leaves, stems, roots, root tips, anthers, pistils, seed, grain,pericarp, embryo, pollen, ovules, cotyledon, hypocotyl, spike, floret,awn, lemma, shoot, tissue, petiole, cells, and meristematic cells. Aplant cell is the structural and physiological unit of the plant,comprising a protoplast and a cell wall. A plant cell can be in the formof an isolated single cell or aggregate of cells such as a friablecallus, or a cultured cell, or can be part of a higher organized unit,for example, a plant tissue, plant organ, or plant. Thus, a plant cellcan be a protoplast, a gamete producing cell, or a cell or collection ofcells that can regenerate into a whole plant. A plant part includesplant tissue or any other groups of plant cells that is organized into astructural or functional unit.

The term plant height is defined as the average height in inches orcentimeters of a group of plants, as measured from the ground level tothe tip of the head, excluding awns.

Powdery Mildew is a disease of wheat characterized by white to palegray, fuzzy or powdery colonies of mycelia, and conidia on the uppersurfaces of leaves and leaf sheaths (especially on lower leaves), andsometimes on the spikes. The disease is caused by the fungus Erysiphegraminis f sp. tritici. Older fungal tissue is yellowish gray. Thissuperficial fungal material can be rubbed off easily with the fingers.Host tissue beneath the fungal material becomes chlorotic or necroticand, with severe infections, the leaves may die. Eventually, blackspherical fruiting structures may develop in the mycelia, and can beseen without magnification. Resistance to this disease is scored onscales that reflect the observed extent of the disease on the leaves ofthe plant. Rating scales may differ but in general a low numberindicates resistance and higher number suggests different levels ofsusceptibility.

Quantitative trait loci refer to genetic loci that control to somedegree numerically representable traits that are usually continuouslydistributed. Regeneration is the development of a plant from tissueculture.

Rhizoctonia Root Rot is a disease of wheat characterized by sharpeyespot lesions that develop on basal leaf sheaths. The disease iscaused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The lesion margins are darkbrown with pale, straw-colored centers and the mycelia often present inthe centers of lesions are easily removed by rubbing. Roots can also beaffected, usually becoming brown in color and reduced in number. Thedisease can cause stunting and a reduction in the number of tillers.Resistance to this disease is scored on scales that reflect the observedextent of the disease on the leaf sheaths of the plant and on reducedvigor of the plant. Rating scales may differ but in general a low numberindicates resistance and higher number suggests different levels ofsusceptibility.

Scab or Head Blight a disease of wheat characterized by florets(especially the outer glumes) that become slightly darkened and oily inappearance. The disease is caused by the fungus Fusarium which hasnumerous species. Spores are produced that can give the spike andshriveled, infected kernels a bright pinkish color. Spores can produce atoxin, deoxynivalenol which can be measured with a chemical test.Resistance to this disease can be measured in three ways: the extent ofthe disease on the spikes of the plant, the percent kernels which arevisibly shriveled and the amount of deoxynivalenol in the kernels.Rating scales may differ but in general a low number indicatesresistance and higher number suggests different levels ofsusceptibility. SDS sedimentation (sodium dodecyl sedimentation) testvalues are a measure of the end-use mixing and handling properties ofbread dough and their relation to bread-making quality as a result ofthe dough's gluten quality. Higher SDS sedimentation levels reflecthigher gluten quality.

Self-pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Septoria Leaf Blotch or Speckled Leaf Blotchis a disease of wheat,common wheat and durum wheat characterized by irregularly shapedblotches that are at first yellow and then turn reddish brown withgrayish brown dry centers, caused by the rust fungus Septoria tritici.Resistance to this disease is scored on scales that reflect the observedextent of the disease on the leaves of the plant. Rating scales maydiffer but in general a low number indicates resistance and highernumber suggests different levels of susceptibility.

Soil born mosaic virus is a disease of wheat characterized by mild greento yellow mosaic, yellow-green mottling, dashes, and parallel streaks,most clearly visible on the youngest leaf. Reddish streaking andnecrosis at leaf tips sometimes occurs. Stunting can be moderate tosevere, depending on the variety. The disease is caused by a virus whichis transmitted by a soilborne fungus-like organism, Polymyxa graminis,which makes swimming spores that infect the roots of wheat. Resistanceto this disease is scored on scales that reflect the observed extent ofthe disease on the young plants. Rating scales may differ, but ingeneral, a low number indicates resistance and a higher number suggestsdifferent levels of susceptibility.

Substantially Equivalent is a characteristic that, when compared, doesnot show a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Stem Rust is a disease of wheat characterized by pustules containingmasses of spores that are dark reddish brown, and may occur on bothsides of the leaves, on the stems, and on the spikes. The disease iscaused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f sp. Tritici. Resistance to thisdisease is scored on scales that reflect the observed extent of thedisease on the leaves of the plant. Rating scales may differ, but ingeneral, a low number indicates resistance and a higher number suggestsdifferent levels of susceptibility. Stripe rust is a disease of wheat,common wheat, durum wheat, and barley characterized by elongated rows ofyellow spores on the affected parts, caused by a rust fungus, Pucciniastriiformis. Resistance to this disease is scored on scales that reflectthe observed extent of the disease on the leaves of the plant. Ratingscales may differ, but in general, a low number indicates resistance anda higher number suggests different levels of susceptibility.

Test Weight (TWT) is a measure of density that refers to the weight inpounds of the amount of kernels contained in a bushel unit of volume.Tissue culture is a composition comprising isolated cells of the same ora different type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant. Exemplary types of tissue cultures are protoplasts, calli, plantclumps, and plant cells that can generate tissue culture that are intactin plants or parts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, ovules, pericarp,flowers, florets, heads, spikelets, seeds, leaves, stems, roots, roottips, anthers, pistils, awns, stems, and the like.

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of the wheat cultivar SNR-0068, which is disclosed hereinabove and referenced in the claims, will be made with the American TypeCulture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Blvd., Manassas, Va.20110-2209. The date of deposit is ______ and the accession number forthose deposited seeds of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 is ATCC Accession No.______. All restrictions upon the deposit have been removed, and thedeposit is intended to meet all of the requirements of the BudapestTreaty and 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.801-1.809. The deposit will be maintained inthe depository for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the lastrequest, or for the effective life of the patent, whichever is longer,and will be replaced if necessary during that period.

All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can bemade and executed without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention havebeen described in terms of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, itwill be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations, changes,modifications, and alterations may be applied to the composition,methods, and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methodsdescribed herein, without departing from the true concept, spirit, andscope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent thatcertain agents that are both chemically and physiologically related maybe substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similarresults would be achieved. All such similar substitutes andmodifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to bewithin the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

The references cited herein, to the extent that they provide exemplaryprocedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, arespecifically incorporated herein by reference.

1. A plant of wheat cultivar SNR-0068, wherein representative seed ofsaid cultivar has been deposited under ATCC Accession No ______.
 2. Aplant part of the plant of claim 1, wherein the plant part comprises atleast one cell of said plant.
 3. The plant part of claim 2, selectedfrom the group consisting of awn, leaf, pollen, ovule, embryo,cotyledon, hypocotyl, meristematic cell, root, root tip, pistil, anther,floret, seed, pericarp, spike, stem, or callus.
 4. A tissue cultureproduced from the plant part of claim
 3. 5. A wheat plant regeneratedfrom the tissue culture of claim 4, said plant having all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of wheat cultivarSNR-0068.
 6. A seed of wheat cultivar SNR-0068, wherein representativeseed of said cultivar has been deposited under ATCC Accession No.______.
 7. A method of producing wheat seed, wherein the methodcomprises crossing the plant of claim 1 with itself, another wheatcultivar SNR-0068 plant, or a second wheat plant that is not wheatcultivar SNR-0068.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the methodcomprises crossing the plant of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 with a plantthat is not SNR-0068 and producing F₁ hybrid seed.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the method further comprises: (a) crossing a plantgrown from said F₁ hybrid seed with itself or a different wheat plant toproduce a seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation; (b)growing a progeny plant of a subsequent generation from said seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation and crossing the progeny plantof a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant to produce aprogeny plant of a further subsequent generation; and (c) repeatingsteps (a) and (b) using said progeny plant of a further subsequentgeneration from step (b) in place of the plant grown from said F₁ hybridwheat seed in step (a), wherein steps (a) and (b) are repeated withsufficient inbreeding to produce an inbred wheat plant derived from thewheat cultivar SNR-0068.
 10. An F₁ wheat plant or plant part produced bygrowing the seed produced by the method of claim
 7. 11. The wheat plantor plant part of claim 10, wherein said plant or plant part is an F₁hybrid plant or plant part produced by crossing wheat cultivar SNR-0068with a second wheat plant that is not SNR-0068.
 12. The plant part ofclaim 11, wherein said plant part is seed.
 13. A composition comprisingthe seed of claim 6 comprised in plant seed growth media, whereinrepresentative seed of said cultivar has been deposited under ATCCAccession No. ______.
 14. The composition of claim 13, wherein thegrowth media is soil or a synthetic cultivation medium.
 15. A plant orplant part of wheat cultivar SNR-0068, further comprising a locusconversion, wherein said plant is otherwise capable of expressing all ofthe morphological and physiological characteristics of wheat cultivarSNR-0068, wherein representative seed of wheat cultivar SNR-0068 hasbeen deposited under ATCC Accession No. ______.
 16. The plant of claim15, wherein the locus conversion comprises a transgene.
 17. A seed thatproduces the plant of claim
 15. 18. The seed of claim 17, wherein thelocus confers a trait selected from the group consisting of malesterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, abiotic stressresistance, altered seed amino acid composition, site-specific geneticrecombination, and modified carbohydrate metabolism.
 19. The seed ofclaim 17, wherein the locus confers tolerance to an herbicide selectedfrom the group consisting of glyphosate, sulfonylurea, imidazolinone,dicamba, glufosinate, phenoxy propionic acid, L-phosphinothricin,cyclohexanone, cyclohexanedione, triazine, and benzonitrile.
 20. Theseed of claim 17, wherein the locus further comprises a gene encoding aBacillus thuringiensis endotoxin.
 21. The seed of claim 17, wherein thelocus further comprises a gene encoding a protein selected from thegroup consisting of glutenins, gliadins, phytase, fructosyltransferase,levansucrase, .alpha.-amylase, invertase and starch branching enzyme orencoding an antisense of stearyl-ACP desaturase.
 22. The seed of claim17, wherein the locus conversion comprises a transgene.
 23. A method ofproducing a product comprising obtaining the wheat plant of claim 1 or aplant part thereof and producing the product therefrom.
 24. The methodof claim 23, wherein the commodity plant product is selected from grain,flour, baked goods, cereals, pasta, beverages, livestock feed, biofuel,straw, construction materials, or starches.
 25. A product produced bythe method of claim 24, wherein the product comprises at least one cellof wheat cultivar SNR-0068.